Twin Pools Lodge B&B

About

Set on a lush property in the scenic Balgowan Valley, Twin Pools Lodge is a celebration of laidback life in the Kwazulu-Natal Midlands, inviting guests to experience tranquillity, country-style homeliness and owner-managed hospitality. The lodge offers accommodation of classic comfort, surrounded by fragrant gardens that stretch down to two small dams and rolling evergreen hills, setting an idyllic scene for soul-soothing relaxation.

With just three rooms and a cottage, guests are assured of personalised service from owners and hosts Anne and Brian, who are happy to meet the needs of everyone from couples to families.

One of the rooms has a King-size bed, large corner bath and shower, making it suitable for honeymooners, although the option of an extra single bed means that couples with children are equally well accommodated. As with the rest of the accommodation, the room has a well-appointed kitchen for guests who want to self-cater, along with a braai area on a furnished patio with lovely views over the grounds. The other two rooms have Queen-size beds and can also sleep an extra guest on a single bed, while the en-suite bathrooms have spacious showers.

Families of up to six people can enjoy a memorable Midlands holiday while staying in the cottage, which offers two bedrooms, a spacious full bathroom and a comfortable lounge with a double sleeper couch. During winter, when snow sometimes covers the valley, guests can snuggle up to a fireplace while admiring the views through large bay windows. To enhance the homely atmosphere, every room is equipped with heaters, fans, hairdryers, heated towel rails and electric blankets, tea/coffee facilities and televisions.

Guests do not have to worry about waking up early for breakfast, which is served at whatever time is most convenient. Brian cooks up a country-style feast which is individualised to personal needs, getting the day off to a perfect start.

Afterwards, guests can sip coffee while admiring the views from the wide verandah, before venturing out to experience the farm and the rest of the Midlands. The dams are delightful places to swim, canoe and fish, while the gardens and indigenous forests attract a wide variety of birds. At the Country Shoppe, guests will find a range of quirky, beautifully-made products to remind them of their stay.

The lodge is right on the doorstep of the Midlands Meander, which offers numerous farm stalls, wonderful country restaurants, unique shops and a host of entertaining outdoor activities. Day trips to the Drakensberg mountains and Zululand battlefields will round off a memorable holiday in this beautiful region.

Rates & Summary

King Room

Sleeps 3 in King-size and single bedEn-suite corner bath and showerKitchenPatio with garden views and braai area

2 Queen Rooms

Each sleeps 3 in Queen-size and single bedEn-suite showerKitchenPatio with garden views and braai area

Cottage

Sleeps 6 in Queen room, twin room and sleeper couchBathroom with corner bath and overhead showerKitchenLounge area with fireplacePatio with garden views and braai area

Pricing

For pricing detail, click on CHECK AVAILABILITY & BOOK ONLINE above

Catering

Bed and Breakfast or self-catering

Kids

Children of all ages are welcome.

Why Stay Here?

Twin Pools Lodge is situated off the Curry’s Post Road in the heart of the Kwazulu-Natal Midlands, and offers comfortable bed and breakfast or self-catering accommodation in three rooms and a cottage. The lodge is a great base from which to explore the Kwazulu-Natal Midlands and provides all the tranquillity needed to unwind from life’ stresses. Guests can swim and fish in the dam in front of the lodge, or go for scenic walks through the countryside. The Country Shoppe sells a range of charming titbits for guests to take home with them.

Summary

Central location for all the cultural and scenic splendour of the renowned Natal Midlands

Pastoral tranquility, complete with a dam to swim or fish in in front of the lodge

Midlands & Kamberg

Highlights

About

The KwaZulu-Natal Midlands is undeniably one of the most beautiful parts of our spectacular country. It’s blessed with a little bit of everything.

Rolling hills, burbling brooks and surging rivers… history, game reserves and haunting battlefields. Not bad for only a section of one of our nine provinces.

It’s pressed up against the Drakensberg-Ukahlamba mountains in the west, stretched along the coastal belt in the east and hemmed in by the mighty Tugela River in the north. The Midlands is a fertile area that is dominated by agriculture and wide open spaces.

For many, the Midlands has become synonymous with a small area around Nottingham Road. While this is indeed a cornerstone of the region, the Midlands encompasses a far greater and more diverse area than it is often credited with.

It begins in the south-east where the Umgeni River runs through the Valley of a Thousand Hills, with its crags and cliffs, aloes and thorn trees. Further west is the province’s capital city, Pietermaritzburg.

This is a small part of Victorian England painstakingly recreated in Africa - complete with an ornate cricket pavilion and the largest red-brick building in the southern hemisphere as its city hall.

It was after being thrown from a train here that Mahatma Ghandi was inspired to take the first steps of his peaceful protests against discrimination. A statue of the great man still stands in the city centre.

Another great man, South Africa’s iconic Nelson Mandela, also has a firm link to the region and its railways. Just outside Howick one can visit the spot where Madiba was finally arrested, while travelling by train. A plaque marks the otherwise nondescript spot.

The history continues to the north, where the English, Zulu and Afrikaner fought each other at various times in history. While the more famous battlefields are to be found further north and east in Zululand, there are fascinating places to visit in the Midlands, too. These are most notably around the towns of Colenso and Weenen.

In the more westerly parts of the Midlands, where it comes up against the buttresses of the Drakensberg, the Midlands offers some exceptional fly-fishing for trout in rivers and dams.

Midmar Dam outside Howick is a popular venue for carp and bass fishing, as is Albert Falls Dam further east. There also are a number of excellent courses vying for golfers’ attentions.

Of course, no visit to the Midlands is complete without exploring the Midlands Meander for at least a day or two. The best way to do this is to head north from Howick on the R103, a good tar road that ambles and winds through forests and farmlands. This road is regularly dotted with interesting attractions.

But don’t stick resolutely to this one road. Pick up a Meander map and explore. Head out to the Dargle, the Karkloof or Curry’s Post. It’ll be quieter, but is just as interesting and picturesque.

Look out for

The Midlands Meander – is what the majority of visitors think of when they hear ‘Midlands’. It deserves its reputation, too. It has become a successful, sustainable tourist attraction that focuses on quality, handmade products and local produce. A few of the highlights are Ardmore Ceramics, the Woodturner, Shuttleworth Weaving and the Zulu Quilt Centre.

Sports – are a major attraction in the Midlands. Every year the Duzi Canoe Marathon starts in Pietermaritzburg and, three days later, ends in Durban. The Midmar Mile is an open-water swim that takes place annually in Midmar Dam. The Comrades Marathon is the largest ultramarathon in the world, running from Pietermaritzburg to Durban, or vice versa in alternate years.

Howick Falls - are a big drawcard in the region, but don’t think that all one can do is gaze at them. Take a walk into the gorge, through thick indigenous bush filled with bird calls. You’ll be rewarded with the best possible view of the falls, and with a refreshing swim. Adventurers can also abseil over the 107-metre drop, past precariously perching aloes, caressed by the waterfall’s drifting spray.

Hartford House - is a destination worth visiting just for the food. It is also worth spending a night in this historic, luxurious boutique hotel. Situated just outside Mooi River, this romantic getaway on a working horse stud farm is home to an award-winning restaurant. It offers splendid set-course dinners coupled with excellent wines.

Fly-fishing - the first trout to be imported into South Africa were brought to Balgowan in the Midlands. It’s hard to find better fly-fishing than in this region. The dams around Nottingham Road, in the Rosetta/Kamberg District and in the Dargle, are renowned for the trophy rainbow trout. The rivers that flow from the Drakensberg are similarly famed. Indigenous yellowfish are becoming increasingly targeted on fly. They can be fished for in the Tugela, Msunduzi and Umgeni Rivers, amongst others.

Mountain biking - A number of high-profile mountain biking events are held in the Midlands every year. Pietermaritzburg has even hosted the Mountain Bike World Cup. This should give some indication of the quality of the cycling available in the region.